The Pontal
River meets sea.
FWehby — CC BY-SA 4.0 · MTur Destinos — Public domain · MTur Destinos — Public domain · rodrigodemarque — CC BY 3.0 · rodrigodemarque — CC BY 3.0
Maracaípe is the southward continuation of the Porto de Galinhas coast in Ipojuca municipality, yet a different world: a quieter, palm-fringed beach that visitors choose to escape Porto de Galinhas's crowds, where locals and environmentalists work to protect its mangroves from large-scale building. «Maraca», as regulars call it, has for years been Pernambuco's top surf beach, hosting national surf and longboard championships that have drawn athletes from abroad, with stalls on the sand selling and repairing boards. These southern beaches suit surfing better than Recife's, where swimming far out is banned because of sharks. Maracaípe's finest corner is its southern tip, the «Pontal», where the river meets the sea among the mangroves; from there «jangada» boat trips go out to watch seahorses in the shallow estuary water. At sunset the sun sinks behind the palms in a scene photographers love.
River meets sea.
By jangada boat.
Behind the palms.
Maracaípe, Ipojuca, south of Porto de Galinhas
In the Maracaípe river mouth at the Pontal, on a jangada boat trip with a local boatman.
